325,000 people with statutory health insurance received statutory health insurance treatment for Lyme disease in 2021
11.07.2022 11:37
In 2021, 325,000 legally insured patients in Germany were diagnosed with Lyme disease. This corresponds to the population of a major German city such as Münster or Bonn. The tick-borne infection occurs nationwide - but there are significant regional differences in the risk of becoming infected with Lyme disease. In the billing data currently evaluated by the Central Institute for Statutory Health Insurance (Zi), the highest diagnosis prevalence was found in East Germany and Bavaria.
The diagnosis frequency varies between 232 in Hamburg and 839 per 100,000 insured people in Saxony. The highest values can also be observed in the eastern German states of Thuringia (727), Brandenburg (624) and Saxony-Anhalt (597) as well as in Bavaria (590). With a diagnosis frequency of 442 members of the statutory health insurance (GKV) per 100,000 insured people, the statutory health insurance billing data show a slight decrease of 3 percent nationwide compared to the previous year (458 per 100,000 in 2020). The values fell the most in Bavaria at -8 percent, followed by Westphalia-Lippe (-6.7 percent), Rhineland-Palatinate (-6.2 percent) and Saarland (-6.0 percent). The highest increases in diagnosis frequency are recorded in Saxony-Anhalt (+7.5 percent), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (+7.1 percent) and Schleswig-Holstein (+5.5 percent).
Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne infectious disease in Europe. The disease is caused by bacteria of the genus Borrelia. Mice and birds are the main pathogen reservoir. The pathogen is transmitted in Europe through the bite of the tick Ixodes ricinus. The disease can affect various organ systems, especially the skin, nervous system and joints. The clinical manifestations of the disease vary from mild forms such as erythema migrans (also known as wandering flush) to severe forms such as meningitis (inflammation of the meninges). Direct infection from person to person is not possible. There is currently no approved vaccination in Germany.
“Preventive health protection is becoming significantly more important because ticks are spreading more and more as carriers of dangerous pathogens, also as a result of climate change. Our current evaluations of the spread of Lyme disease in Germany form a valid basis for preventive measures that can reduce the risk of infection. The significantly increased number of Lyme disease infections compared to the pre-pandemic years could possibly be a result of increased leisure activities in the countryside due to the restrictions imposed by the Corona measures,” said Zi CEO Dr. Dominik von Stillfried.